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A video billboard calling for the conviction of former U.S. President Donald Trump plays near the U.S. Capitol on the fourth day of Trump's second impeachment trial, Washington, D.C., February 12, 2021. /Getty
**Editor's note: **Bradley Blankenship is a Prague-based American journalist, political analyst and freelance reporter. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump survived his record-setting second impeachment proceeding on Saturday, concluding the drama that his supporters sparked on January 6 after storming the U.S. Capitol – at least for now. While it may be seen as a win for Trump and his movement, the results of the second impeachment actually show a net loss for the conservative movement in America.
Even before the results of this latest impeachment this was clear. Top current and former Republican officials joined then-candidate Joe Biden's presidential campaign to help him deny Trump a second term in office. Days ago, Reuters reported that dozens of former Republican officials are in talks to create a new center-right political party because of the GOP's inability to stand up to Trump properly.
Clearly these former officials, some of whom even served in the Trump administration, could see clearly that Senate Republicans would acquit the former president. In terms of whether the former president incited a violent mob to violence, however, there is little question.
According to Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, Trump attacked his own vice president, Mike Pence, in a tweet after he learned a mob was hunting him in the Capitol.
The tweet read, "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, another Republican, also alleged that Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy got into a shouting match with Trump during the riot. The top ranking Republican pleaded with Trump to call off the mob as he was barricaded in his office with his staff, according to details from Beutler.
"Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are," Trump allegedly told McCarthy, refusing to call off the mob.
Both of these instances show that not only did Trump know that he incited the mob to violence, but he also didn't care and refused to take any action to prevent it.
News headlines on the impeachment trial of Donald Trump are displayed outside of the Fox headquarters in New York City, February 9, 2021. /Getty.
Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the most powerful Republican in Washington, torched Trump during the impeachment. He said that the mob "did this because they'd been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth because he was angry he lost an election."
While McConnell and other Republicans in the Senate refused to convict Trump on the grounds that he had already left office and the impeachment was thus, in their minds, unconstitutional, he said that the former president was "practically and morally responsible" for the events that took place.
McConnell also pointed to the fact that criminal prosecution is still a possibility now that Trump is a private citizen. Given that McConnell more or less gave up on Trump by the end of his re-election campaign, it appears that he actually wants this to happen.
Meanwhile, Trump took his survival during the second impeachment as a harrowing victory. In an official statement, the former president said that the "movement to Make American Great Again has only just begun." In typical fashion, Trump also refused to apologize for his role in the Capitol riot and instead painted himself as the victim of a "witch hunt."
Donald Trump Jr. also tweeted, "Let's impeach RINOs [Republicans in name only] from the Republican Party!!!" likely referring to the 10 House Republicans and seven Senate Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.
While both sides of the Republican Party are probably walking away right now thinking they dodged a bullet, the fact is obvious that the old guard of the Republican Party, like Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, are losing control – and they are certainly aware.
At least two high-profile Republicans that voted to convict Trump, Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Senator Ben Sasse, for example, faced serious backlash from their state parties.
What has been so pivotal to the conservative movement's power over the past several decades is the unanimity among members. Even though there may be slight deviations across various segments of the Republican Party, these have always been minimal and are hardly reflected when it comes time to vote. The second Trump impeachment has exposed a deep and probably irreconcilable fracture in the movement.
At the same time, the fact that sitting Republicans couldn't distance themselves from Trump, a man who incited a violent mob to attack Congress just a month and a half ago, shows that there can be no bipartisanship. As Democrats hold both chambers of Congress and the White House, this is a huge political win to help them carry out their agenda.
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